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Satellites/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby A robot, Moby, is building a large piece of equipment in his front yard. A boy, Tim, approaches him to see what's going on. TIM: What are you up to? MOBY: Beep. TIM: Making a satellite? Moby welds something to his project TIM: 'Um, okay. ''Tim reads from a typed letter. '''TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, What are satellites? From Elena. Technically, a satellite is any object that orbits around another object. The Moon is Earth's natural satellite, and the Earth and other planets are satellites of the Sun. An animation shows the Moon orbiting Earth, and Earth and other planets orbiting the Sun. TIM: 'But the type of satellite you're probably thinking of is an artificial satellite. ''An animation shows Earth from space, with several human made satellites orbiting around it. 'TIM: '''Satellites receive and transmit valuable information, everything from communications, weather images, navigational data, and even images from deep space! ''Images appear that represent the types of information that Tim describes. 'TIM: '''Satellites let us see news from other parts of the world as it's happening. ''Moby watches a television news report from Paris. '''TIM: Using radio waves, images and sound can be transmitted quickly from one part of the Earth to another! Images from one side of the world can be beamed up to a satellite, which instantly transmits it to the opposite side. An animation shows Earth from space. two satellites float above Earth. A signal leaves Earth, hits a satellite, and returns to a different part of Earth. 'TIM: '''Satellites come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but they often have some common parts. An onboard computer monitors the different systems. Solar panel cells trap sunlight and convert it into electricity to power the satellite. Batteries store power. Radio equipment like an antenna and receiver dish let the satellite communicate with Earth and other satellites. An attitude control system keeps the satellite pointed in the right direction. ''A cross-section of an orbiting satellite shows the parts Tim describes. 'MOBY: '''Beep? '''TIM: '''Well, usually satellites are put into orbit by rockets. When a rocket reaches extremely thin air, at almost 200 kilometers up, it fires off small rockets to get into a horizontal position. ''An animation shows a rocket gong high into Earth's atmosphere and then changing its angle, turning sideways as Tim describes. 'TIM: '''Then it releases to satellite into orbit. ''The rocket opens and releases the satellite as Tim describes. 'MOBY: '''Beep? '''TIM: '''Well, the path that a satellite follows depends on the job it has to do. For satellites around the Earth, their orbit is often based on a particular distance from the ground or what direction it's orbiting. For instance, a low earth orbit is easy to reach, and it's good for space station and space shuttle missions. Low earth orbits are those under 2,000 kilometers from Earth's surface. ''An image shows a space station in low earth orbit. 'TIM: '''A satellite in geosynchronous orbit is always over the same spot, which is good if it's a communication satellite. Geosynchronous translates roughly to "same time as the Earth." ''An image shows a geosynchronous satellite over Earth. The satellite vanishes and is replaced by text that reads: Geosynchronous, Same time as the Earth. Then the text vanishes and the satellite reappears. 'TIM: '''These satellites orbit the earth at the same rate as the planet's rotation. ''Tim looks over at Moby's satellite. 'TIM: '''How do you plan on getting that into orbit? '''MOBY: '''Beep. ''Moby picks up the satellite from the ground and heaves it into the air. It flies out of sight. Tim looks on, amazed. 'MOBY: '''Beep. ''The satellite reappears and falls back into the yard. Tim yells. There is a loud crash. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts